The story so far: A Delhi Court on Thursday extended the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1 in the money laundering case registered in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy issue. He was earlier remanded to the agency’s custody till March 28.
Mr Kejriwal was arrested on March 21, hours after his plea for interim protection from arrest was rejected by the Delhi High Court. This is the first instance of a Chief Minister in India being put behind bars while still in office.
Soon after his arrest, a plea was moved before the Supreme Court challenging the move. However, it was eventually withdrawn on the morning of March 22. On Wednesday, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court denied any interim relief to the Chief Minister after opining that the nature of the relief sought could not be granted without giving the ED an opportunity for effective representation, as that would amount to a violation of the principles of natural justice.
